Search Results for: blog talking to your doctor about birth

When You Think Something is Wrong with Your Baby

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No mother ever wants to have a child with a problem. Especially first time mothers. We are already so scared that we are going to “mess up” or do something wrong. So, for the most part, we are acutely aware of every little nuance of our child. Practically from the moment they are born! When I had my second child, I definitely felt a little more confident about being a mom. I had the nursing thing down after doing it for 14 months with my first. I knew what I did and didn’t want to do this time around. I … Continue reading →

Ask Your Doctor, Not The Internet

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In the age of Google, pregnant women everywhere have themselves worried sick about diseases, complications, birth defects, and traumatic labor. Search engines are great for learning more about morning sickness cures and breastfeeding techniques, but it’s not a good place to turn when you are worried about things of a more serious nature. Your doctor is a better resource. The internet is biased. People love to post pictures of birth defects, write stories about traumatic birth experiences, and fill up forums with warnings about every activity, food and drug out there. What you don’t see are the countless accounts of … Continue reading →

Do You Feel Well Informed by Your Health Care Provider?

Do you feel well informed by your health care provider? Doctors and midwives vary from each other and among other professionals in their field in terms of patient communication and patient education. Some doctors are naturally good at educating and informing patients about options for birth as well as many other health related topics. Others aren’t as good at communicating or are hurrying to the next patient and don’t take the time. Rushing or not bothering to offer information to patients seems to be all too common in the experiences of many women. The reasons vary. Sometimes the doctor is … Continue reading →

Ask a Baby Blogger: The Gory Details

Question: I wanted to ask you, since you are clearly in favor of breastfeeding, what you think about women who put down other women for not breastfeeding? Also, do you think there’s a limit (please say yes) to how much information should be shared by other moms in a conversation regarding breastfeeding and child birth. I almost answered this question privately, as really it doesn’t have to do with babies as much as motherhood and manners. But then I went back to my own early days as a mother. . .even during my pre-mothering days when I was pregnant. I … Continue reading →

Choosing Goals for Your Baby’s Birth

In the first part of this blog, I discussed setting goals for labor. Those goals focused on your perfect labor and how goals can help you achieve it. The same is true for the actual birth and the time immediately following the birth. Clear goals and expectations can help you have the best possible experience. Your birth plan should reflect your goals for the birth of your baby. Many of the issues that will need to be addressed involve medical interventions. Philosophically speaking, how do you feel about the interventions commonly used in child birth? Is your basic belief that … Continue reading →

Choosing Goals for Your Birth Plan for Labor

A birth plan is an essential part of having the birth that you want. All pregnant women should write a comprehensive birth plan that describes their preferences for labor, birth and the immediate post partum period. Before you can write a birth plan, you need to know what you want. That is where having goals is beneficial. Setting goals for your birth is a big topic. For this reason, I will split it into two blogs, one for labor and the other for the birth and beyond. In our society, we often focus on what can go wrong during birth. … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review for Aug 17-25

Welcome to the pregnancy blog week in review. This weekly blog gives a synopsis of the blogs posted this week. The review is a great place to read articles in one place. Healthy pregnancy wishes to all our expectant mommies. Paternity Testing in Pregnancy offers information on current testing available to determine paternity while you are still pregnant. While there are a few options available, it is best for the health of your baby to wait until the baby is born. At that time a simple blood test can give the results with no health risk. How Can I Tell … Continue reading →

Talking About Tough Issues: Drug Abuse

Some of the suggestions for talking about drug abuse and physical abuse and mental illness may also be adapted to talk about neglect, whether the neglect is due to maternal depression, or to birthparents’ seeming lack of knowledge of children’s needs, or their seeming inability to care for another. In early childhood: “Your mother took a kind of medicine that wasn’t given her by a doctor. She thought it would make her feel good, but it was bad medicine. It made her sleepy so she couldn’t take good care of you.” In elementary school: Your mother took bad drugs that … Continue reading →

Talking to Your Doctor about Birth

It’s a good idea for every pregnant woman to write a birth plan. Your birth plan spells out your wishes for labor, delivery and the period immediately following the baby’s birth. This helps you focus on what you want and tells your coach and the medical staff how you want things handled. When you make a birth plan, you will want to review it with your doctor. Sometimes the doctor or hospital will have a policy that may not fit with your birth plan. It’s important to know this early, so you can make a decision regarding care for the … Continue reading →

Talking with Children About Special Needs

Many children who are adopted have some special needs. Children adopted from the foster care system may show emotional and behavioral needs related to neglect or frequent separations (although most of these kids do very well, contrary to the media focus on problems). Children from overseas may have a birth defect which is correctable by relatively routine surgery common in this country but not in theirs, for example a cleft palate or club foot. In some cultures facial differences can make life harder and these children may be more likely to be placed for adoption. Parents may consider a child … Continue reading →